Dear City Council members,
I am attending tonight’s City Council meeting via Zoom, and I would like to weigh in if it’s not too late. I have owned my home and lived in Menlo Park for more than 17 years, and I strenuously oppose the plan to build low income housing in Menlo Park’s downtown. The parking lots are already mostly full — during normal business hours, I am often circling to find parking, especially in the last 5 years. Our downtown is already struggling, and increasing congestion that prevents people who are likely to spend money downtown will kill what is left of our downtown.
We love the small-town feel of Menlo Park, which is why we purchased our home here and have raised our daughters here. Ten-story buildings in downtown will destroy that small-town feeling. It makes far more sense to put the needed additional housing in the civic center area, where it is still in close proximity to transit and businesses but not so close to the businesses that it will hurt their viability.
Thank you for your attention to this.
Jennifer Buddin
1750 Bay Laurel Drive, Menlo Park
